Mr MARTIN McGuinness, a Sinn Fein ard comhairle member, has accused the British government of allowing the unionist "leadership to block moves towards "credible" all-party talks. It was a recipe for failure, he warned last night.
"The biggest obstacle to progress on these issues is the British government, which appears to be placing its short-term political life before peace in Ireland," Mr McGuinness said.
Meanwhile, the multi-party talks continue at Castle Buildings, Stormont today, with the main parties still deadlocked over how the decommissioning issue might be resolved.
There were a number of bilateral meetings yesterday, one of which involved the SDLP and the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), but sources said no progress was made.
One leading unionist source said he expected little movements on decommissioning until the British Prime Minister, Mr John Major, replied to reported contacts from Sinn Fein, via Mr John Hume, seeking to establish whether Sinn Fein would be speedily allowed into all-party talks in the event of an IRA ceasefire.
